Helix Water District announced its declaration of “Drought Level 1” at a regular meeting of the board of directors Wednesday in response to California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent declaration of a “Drought State of Emergency” and San Diego County Water Authority’s declaration of Drought Level 1 last week.

Drought Level 1 is a “Drought Watch” that calls for the public to voluntarily follow a list of conservation measures. No mandatory restrictions are expected this year, as Southern California water agencies have made significant investments over the last decade to increase water storage to help the area withstand dry seasons.

3) Irrigate residential and commercial landscape before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. only. Consider limiting lawn watering and landscape irrigation using fixed spray sprinklers to no more than 10 minutes per day. Irrigation run-time should be adjusted to avoid runoff.

4) Use a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or bucket to water landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs located on residential and commercial properties that are not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system.

5) Irrigate nursery and commercial grower’s products before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. only. Watering is permitted at any time with a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle, a bucket, or when a drip/micro-irrigation system/equipment is used. Irrigation of nursery propagation beds is permitted at any time. Watering of livestock is permitted at any time.

6) Use recirculated water to operate ornamental fountains.

7) Wash vehicles using a bucket and a hand-held hose with positive shut-off nozzle, mobile high pressure/low volume wash system, or at a commercial site that reclaims water on-site. Avoid washing during hot conditions when additional water is required due to evaporation.

8) Serve & refill water in restaurants & other food service establishments only on request.

9) Offer guests in hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.

10) Repair all water leaks within five days of notification by the Helix Water District unless other arrangements are made with the general manager.

These water conservation measures are per the District’s Drought Response Policy and Procedure, Section 4.9, adopted by Resolution 08-32 on July 16, 2008. Visit www.hwd.com/conserve for more information and for water savings tips.

Speakers
Bureau

May
we present...?Helix
has a series of presentations that bring information
about the District to the community.

Would your organization like to know how your Helix
dollar is spent? Or, perhaps you might be interested
in the history of water in East County, from flume
line to ozone?

Presenters come with all of their own equipment--laptop,
projector, and handouts. All that is needed is a
place to plug in, set up, and project onto a wall
or screen.